And your ears shall hear…

A friend of mine wanted to spend one of his last nights in Chicago crossing “Live Jazz
@ The Green Room” off his bucket list. So, I obliged him and we walked down Lawrence to Broadway to see Joel Paterson and his quartet play some revolutionary jazz. What we got for our $10 cover was much more than we bargained for. Joel’s three sets spanned decades of tradition and style, from jazz to country and blues to Island Music. At least that’s what I left calling his slide guitar sets that whisk you away to a remote island where hula dancers sway. Really, Joel and Company should have a big ticket agent that sends them all over the world, (Can you say Bermuda or Hawaii?), playing his vast catalog of inspirational music.

We got jazz from Bernie Kessler, and we got several incredible Beatles covers including “All My Loving,” and “I Saw Her Standing There,” which turned out to be a call and response with the audience singing the high note (“Whooooo!”) after Joel sang, “I saw her standing there.” It was a super fun moment.

We got a history lesson on the electric slide guitar, or pedal steel, the origin of it, and the many different versions people continually confuse.

Behind the deep thrumming of Beau Sample on upright bass, and the flittering, skittering consistency of Alex Hall on drums, guitarist Andy Brown also got a chance to shine. Andy’s an accomplished jazz musician that plays behind The Green Mill bar every Thursday night when he’s not traveling the country jazzing it up with some of the finest players in the business. For these Thursday sets he plays the cocktail hour (5pm-7:15pm), where he states there’s “No cover, tasty drinks, and I take requests!” Andy’s often compared to the great Joe Pass, playing fluidly with a certain humility that comes from a lifetime of disciplined practice, and natural ability. His tone and feel is truly something to hear.

Paterson stopped the show for a second to talk to the woman with the 9mm camera (above) saying that he loved the sound it made, and that it was the coolest thing he’s ever heard. She kept filming while these four players laid down some of the smoothest jazz Chicago has to offer. You’d be hard-pressed to find a band this good anywhere else in the world, and that’s not an overgeneralization. Will and I were blown away, and these Monday night shows will be something you see me frequenting more often. You can’t beat the price ($10 cover) and you can’t beat the music. It’s also a great way to start your week. The place was packed and the vibe was one of sheer delight. I kept thinking that I need some Joel Paterson vinyl in my collection, and I even told him this between sets. He remarked that he had some “Christmas vinyl, but that’s a hard sell right now!”

Halfway through the show the girl next to me leaned over and asked if I was a jazz aficionado? I told her that I was just a fan. She said, “Are these guys good?” I nodded yes, and said, “Some of the best players I’ve ever seen.” She said she was in town to see Taylor Swift and several audience members told her she needed to see live music at The Green Mill before she left Chicago, which I found weird. Though, maybe this means Swifties have real musical taste after all? Also, said girl just made her bucket list shorter.